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Daily Business Report-Feb. 18, 2016

John Crisafulli is pictured in 2013 after receiving the caterer’s contract for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. (File photo)

San Diego-Based Caterer Hired

For 2016 Summer Olympics

Times of San Diego

A San Diego-based company will head to the Olympics for the ninth time this summer.

Table spread by Behind the Scenes Catering

Behind the Scenes Catering was hired to make all the meals for the international broadcast media, and will manage nine locations providing hospitality services to the athletes and sponsors.

John Crisafulli, owner of Behind the Scenes Catering, said he expects to feed up to 16,000 people daily. Over the course of the entire Summer Olympics, his company will serve more than 950,000 meals.

Crisafulli, a native San Diegan, said he scored the paramount deal after meeting someone who was connected to NBC, the television company that broadcasts the games. The first Olympics his company catered was the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

But the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this summer presents its own set of challenges, Crisafulli said.

Bread Display

Crisafulli said his company, which is 26 years old, began preparing for the Summer Olympics about 14 months ago.

“We started about 14 months ago by going down and identifying which vendors we’re going to work with,” Crisafulli said. “We do a lot of background checks with the vendors. Rio is probably the biggest challenge because there is a lot of bureaucracy. It’s hard to get people to agree with contracts.”

Despite the challenges, Crisafulli said the most “spectacular” aspect of working at the Olympics is seeing so many people come together.

“We hire travelers, as well as, locals,” Crisafulli said. “It’s such an eclectic mix of people from all different countries, backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. It’s what the Olympics is all about — bringing people together for a common purpose.”

So what will the Olympians and all the behind-the-scenes participants eat?

Crisafulli said they’ll serve staples like hamburgers, pizza, salad and baked goods. But they’ll also serve meals typically found in Brazil such as shrimp bobo, farofa and feijoada. He said Brazilian dishes are typically served with rice and beans.

“We always introduce the local cuisines,” Crisafulli said. “It will all eventually come together.”

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Associate Psychology Instructor Anjeanette Oberg

MiraCosta Instructor Honored with Hayward Award

Times of San Diego

MiraCosta College associate psychology instructor has been honored with the 2016 Hayward Award, it was announced Tuesday.

Anjeanette Oberg, a former high school dropout and teen mom who became the first in her family to go to college, is one of four to be given the annual recognition.

Named for former California Community College Chancellor Gerald C. Hayward, the Hayward Award honors outstanding community college faculty who have a track record of excellence both in teaching and in professional activities and have demonstrated commitment to their students, profession, and college.

“I am so proud to work within the California Community College system,” Oberg said. “As a community college graduate myself, I greatly appreciate the diversity of our student population.”

Oberg teaches part-time at multiple community colleges. At every campus – including MiraCosta, Palomar and Mt. San Jacinto — Oberg is known as a tireless advocate for expanding educational opportunities and focusing on equity efforts, according to a press release.

Silverado Ballroom in City Heights

Reopens Following Renovation

City News Service

The Silverado Ballroom in City Heights is pictured, Feb. 17, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Bowen)

City and community leaders Wednesday celebrated the grand reopening of the 85-year-old Silverado Ballroom in City Heights, which was renovated in part with loans from the city of San Diego.

First opened in the 1930s at University and Euclid avenues, the art deco building was a site for community gatherings, dances and musical performances.

Most of the restoration was funded by a $1.38 million city redevelopment loan and $81,000 from the city’s Small Business Revolving Loan Fund.

Property owner David Chau invested about $160,000 in the project, one of several being readied when the state abolished redevelopment agencies in 2011, when Chau was just a few weeks away from starting the work.

“The community has been looking forward to the new restaurant and event space since work began,” said Councilwoman Marti Emerald, who represents the area. “There is no doubt that this will help spark and inspire more projects in this part of the district.”

Work included the rehabilitation of the exterior of the building and second floor ballroom; tenant improvements on the first floor; installation of an elevator for accessibility for disabled residents; new paving and hardscape; and structural, mechanical and electrical upgrades.

New Global Design Degrees will Allow

Students to Study in Milan and San Diego

Two new global design degrees have been announced by the Domus Academy School of Design at NewSchool of Architecture & Design in San Diego in collaboration with Domus Academy in Milan, Italy.

The degree will allow students the opportunity to spend two years studying in San Diego and two years studying in Milan.

Upon graduation, students will earn two design credentials: a bachelor’s degree from a Western Association of Schools and Colleges-accredited institution, NewSchool of Architecture & Design in San Diego, through its Domus Academy School of Design, as well as a diploma from Domus Academy in Milan.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

To Keynote San Diego Conference

Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN, will be the keynote speaker at the fifth annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference July 12-14 at the San Diego Town and Country Resort & Convention Center.

The event is held in coordination with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the American Astronautical Society and NASA.

Gupta is the host of Vital Signs for CNN International and Accent Health for Turner Private Networks.

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LEAP FROGS

Navy Parachute Team

Members of the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, perform a tethered flag during a training demonstration. The Navy Parachute Team is based in San Diego and performs aerial parachute demonstrations around the nation in support of Naval Special Warfare and Navy recruiting. (U.S. Navy photo by James Woods)

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New Qualcomm Chip Promises

Gigabit Wireless Speeds

Times of San Diego

Qualcomm announced Thursday a new wireless modem chip that promises gigabit download speeds for new smartphones.

The company said its Snapdragon X16 LTE modem will deliver fiber-optic level LTE Category 16 download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

“In addition to serving as a significant milestone for the mobile industry, the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem is a powerful testament to Qualcomm Technologies’ continued technology leadership in all things wireless,” said Cristiano Amon, executive vice president of the Qualcomm subsidiary.

Qualcomm said the new chip blurs the lines between wired and wireless broadband and supports growing data consumption by consumer devices.

The company also introduced three next-generation Snapdragon smartphone processors — the Snapdragon 625, 435 and 425 — and the Snapdragon Wear platform for wearable computing devices. Qualcomm said Snapdragon processors already power the majority of Android smartwatches.

Personnel Announcements

Norma Braun Joins Tri-City Medical Center

Norma Braun

Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside has named Norma Braun to the new role of senior vice president and chief human resources officer. Braun joins the medical center after nine years with Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles and a full 30 years of experience in health care human resources.

While at Presbyterian, a 434-bed acute care hospital providing all acute and post-acute health care services except pediatric ICU and psychiatric services, Braun was vice president of human resources and oversaw the hospital’s HR, education, volunteer and gift shop departments.

Braun began her career at Sierra Medical Center in 1986 where she spent eight years rising through the organization to ultimately become human resources manager of the 362-bed acute care facility located in El Paso, Texas. Her career then took her to Rio Vista Rehab Hospital and Sierra Providence Health Network, also in Texas, before she came to California in 2001 as director of human resources for Antelope Valley Healthcare District in Lancaster.

Deborah Scott, known for her amazing restaurants and get journey will be sharing with the attendees how she took a dream and made it reality. Arielle Ford will be taking about how to find the Soul in your mate, that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Liz Goodgold will be talking about the power of a first impression and how to make it a memorable one While Pat Reno talks about the taboo subject of money. How do we manage and talk about money without making others uncomfortable? Dr. Nick, as known to many San Diegan’s will talk about his journey and weight loss that has contributed to a healthy and vibrant career.

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We Want Your Opinions on San Diego’s Big Issues
In the coming months, Probosky Research (one of California’s leading opinion research firms) will continue its partnership with SD METRO to survey San Diego residents about topics of interest to our readers. We’d like to throw open the door for suggestions for topics. What do you want to know? What do you think you know, but aren’t sure? What are you certain you know, but want to prove it beyond doubt? Ideally, we’d like to see questions that have to do with public policy.
Some areas may include Mayor Filner’s first 100 days job performance, should the city be responsible for economic growth and the creation of new jobs, how important are infrastructure improvements to our daily lives (streets and bridges, etc.), how important is water independence, how satisfied are residents with public transit or how do city residents value Balboa Park and other open spaces? Do you believe the City Council should revive the Plaza de Panama plan for Balboa Park?
You can email Probolsky Research directly with your ideas: info@probolskyresearch.com